Norwegian Seafood – sustainable production of healthy seafood

Ladies and gentlemen,  

It is a pleasure for me to speak to you at the opening of this year’s North Atlantic Seafood Forum. 

The two previous conferences were both great successes. 450 delegates from 24 countries attended – and with good reason. With its top-level industry speakers, the North Atlantic Seafood Week is an exciting, high-profile concept aimed at promoting insight into world seafood markets.          

This year’s program focuses on market access, environment and sustainability. Each topic is of great interest, as they are crucially decisive for trade in fishery products.   

Being a rather small nation, the Norwegian seafood industry produces much more seafood than Norwegians are able to consume. Every day, throughout the year, 27 million meals of healthy Norwegian seafood are served all around the world.  

This makes Norway the second largest seafood exporting nation, with exports in 2007 worth 37 billion Norwegian kroner – equivalent to 4.9 billion US dollars.  

While the economic value of these exports is huge for our coastal communities and for Norway as a whole, it also means that we offer delicious and healthy quality food to consumers in over 150 markets around the world. 

Seafood and health

Globally, both governments and consumers are increasingly focused on nutrition and health. Many countries are battling lifestyle diseases, and this trend is rising.  

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has highlighted the importance of nutrition as one means to combat such problems, and several scientific studies have drawn our attention to the potential health benefits from eating seafood regularly.  

According to FAO more than one billion people worldwide rely on fish as a main source of animal proteins. Nature sets limits on how much wild fish can be caught. This means that a steadily increasing part of the world's protein needs, must be met through aquaculture. 

Although seafood contains several essential nutrients, it may also contain compounds potentially detrimental to human health due to global environmental pollution.  

Understanding the combined health effects of these positive and negative compounds is essential in order to give consumers scientifically sound advice with respect to seafood consumption. 

The Norwegian Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs is arranging a Seafood and Health Conference to be held in Bergen 14th – 16th of May 2008.  

Norway’s National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research (NIFES) is responsible for the scientific programme. This is intended to be a follow-up of the Seafood & Health Conference in Washington DC in 2005.  

Our knowledge in the field of seafood and health is constantly evolving. At the conference in May leading scientists in the field of seafood and health will present the updated knowledge in this field.  

In addition, policy makers and governmental representatives also will give their views. It is my hope that both seafood importing and seafood exporting countries in the years to come will join forces in order to give consumers scientifically sound advice with respect to seafood consumption. 

Sustainable management

Sustainable management issues are also increasingly on the minds of consumers. As you all know, fish resources are limited and must be managed accordingly.  

Norwegian resource management reflects the best scientific advice available, taking into account the principle of the precautionary approach and sustainable use. We also place great emphasis on surveillance and control of fisheries and landings. 

The Norwegian Government has a strong focus on fighting illegal, unreported and unregulated fisheries. IUU fishing is a threat to both fish stocks and the economic basis of law-abiding fishermen.  

It is crucial that we succeed in this battle, and it is a challenge that Norway cannot solve alone. Good international co-operation is a matter of necessity. I am therefore content with the good collaboration and the proven progress nations have in combating these illegalities. 

Within The North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC), we have managed to create an entirely new scheme for Port State Control (PSC) for fisheries. This is one of the most important priority areas in the battle against IUU fishing.  

New expanded procedures for port state control were unanimously approved by all NEAFC Contracting Parties in November 2006.  

The procedures provide for prior notification of landings. Before the landings can be authorised by the port state, the flag state of the landing vessel must exercise its responsibilities by verifying the information provided in the declaration.  

In particular, the flag state must confirm that the fishing vessel had sufficient quota to allow for the catch.

The flag state must also confirm that the vessel was authorised to fish and that the area of the catch has been verified by a Vessel Monitoring System. Without the confirmation, no authorisation can be given by the port state.

And without authorisation no landing can take place. The control measures also include new obligations and benchmarks regarding inspections to be carried out by the port state. 

This system of port state control applies to all EU Member States, Norway, Iceland, The Faroe Islands and Russia. The system entered into force on May 1st 2007, and has proven to be effective.  

Overfishing in the Barents Sea is decreasing. There has been a huge reduction in IUU fishing of cod and haddock in the Barents Sea since 2005. Vessels carrying illegally caught fish are being driven farther south and east to find ports to land their catches. This must be considered a major achievement in combating IUU fishing in our region. 

A huge challenge now is the seeking out of more distant ports by vessels carrying illegally caught fish. We have, among other places, seen ports of call in northern parts of Africa.  

We have therefore established a control agreement with Moroccan authorities and blacklisted vessels are now being denied access to Moroccan ports.  

We will continue to chase vessels involved in illegal activities farther and farther away. Prolonging the distance they have to travel will decrease the value of the illegally caught fish, ultimately making IUU fishing less economically profitable. Through international cooperation we are making it harder and harder for these vessels to land illegally caught fish.   

Norway has therefore taken the initiative for a new binding global convention for port state control in the UN. This convention will impose legality requirements for all fish to be landed.

As a result, vessels participating in IUU fishing will face closed ports all over the world.

Preparation of the convention has already started in the FAO, with the aim of adopting the convention at the annual meeting in March 2009. 

On a national level, the Government just put forward a bill relating to the management of living marine resources. The proposed Act strengthens regulations on resource control in several areas. This applies in particular to measures to combat IUU fisheries.  

In the light of this upgrading of national and international laws to combat IUU fishing, there is a need to enforce the new regulations as effectively as possible.  

The battle against IUU fishing is an area where the authorities are dependant on cooperation with the police and prosecuting authorities. There is a need to expand cooperation between the control authorities and the justice sector.  

IUU fishing is a serious economic crime with cross-border elements and there is a need for international contacts on several levels. Strengthening the control authorities and justice sector and cooperation between the two is in many ways the road for the future.  

Another important aspect in the battle against IUU fishing is traceability.

Consumers want to know when and where the fish are caught, and whether they are caught legally. Importers request proof that the seafood is safe and stems from sustainable fisheries. 

We are doing what we can to ensure that the fish and fish products that enter the markets are sustainable. But no matter how much we as authorities spend resources and time ensuring that fish are legally caught, there will always be opportunities for foul play. In this regard the market plays an important role.  

Buyers and distributors should make sure that they demand only sustainable products and are prepared to pay the price for legal fish. This will influence the supply. It will secure a sustainable market where illegally caught fish are no longer allowed to disturb market mechanisms. This will increase the price for legally caught fish, making it more profitable. The legal actors and the environment are both winners. 

In ensuring sustainable production and sustainable markets, the use of traceability is one of the measures I believe can constitute an important instrument. Traceability throughout the value chain will make it easier to verify that fish are legally caught.  

This is true no matter where you are in the value chain. Further, this implies that producers, distributors and consumers can get access to vital information about the fish.    

Today’s consumers can make their purchasing choices on the basis of various eco-labelling schemes. These are useful tools in some markets, and I appreciate this initiative as long as it promotes sustainable fisheries. Traceability is an important tool in this respect, too. The existence of traceability gives eco-labels and other labels credibility and trustworthiness. 

At the same time it is important to remember that fish without an eco-label can be equally sustainable as eco-labelled fish.  

The Norwegian Government is committed to ensuring that our fisheries are managed and operated in a sustainable manner. Traceability plays a crucial role in this respect. As I’ve already referred to, we have recently proposed a bill on the management of living marine resources.  

This Act will permit Norwegian authorities to impose regulations on the use of tracing to ensure that all fish produced and sold are legally caught. The Act also authorizes regulations on registration of catches and regulations on transhipment at sea.  

Sustainability and the environment are imperative in our seafood production. In addition, our products must compete in the global seafood market. 

Market access is therefore of key importance for the seafood industry, whether you are a producer, exporter or importer. Market access has the highest priority for the Norwegian Government. We strive to ensure free and fair trade in the WTO, in EFTA, and in our bilateral relations with EU and Russia, to mention a few.  

Many of you, in Norway and in the EU, have lived with the infamous EU salmon case since the early 1990’s. As you know, a panel in the WTO recently found that the current EU minimum price on Norwegian salmon to be inconsistent with WTO-rules. It is now for the EU to implement the findings of the WTO-panel and terminate the unjustified anti-dumping measure. You can rest assure that the Government is fully committed to follow closely how the EU intends to implement the report, and that we, if necessary, will use the WTO dispute mechanism  fully  to ensure that the EU adheres to its obligations.  

Ladies and gentlemen, I can assure you that the Norwegian Government will continue its work on sustainable growth in the seafood industry, and I strongly urge the seafood industry to exercise their responsibilities in this complex work.

I wish you all a successful conference and an interesting stay in Norway.

Thank you for your attention.